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Archives for October 2007

The contrived cosplay-themed compliance of Japan’s forever multiplying number of maid cafes means that they are something of an acquired taste to say the least. But on a cool and damp autumnal day, the warm glow of this maid-related getaway does look rather inviting.

However, with a price list based on time and not tea, it’s fair to say that soapy sojourns rather than sugary snacks are very much the order of the day.

As the Japanese are seemingly making much more of a hullaballoo over Halloween this year, there was obviously no way a certain cat was going to miss out on this rapidly growing cash cow, with the formidable feline looking down on her defenceless followers with demonic indifference being somehow rather apt.

The Japanese otaku (or geek) has recently undergone a renaissance of sorts, with the likes of maid cafes and Akihabara gaining something along the lines of societal acceptance. A shift that has even seen bars based around model railways make the news with barely a hint of head shaking, let alone unrestrained ridicule.

Yet as positive as this may (or indeed may not) appear, it quite possibly leaves the once ostracised otaku little opportunity to meet up with others of a similarly obsessive nature — apart from under the prying eyes of tourists or first timers. A situation that has presumably prompted one ambitious bar owner to open a geek focused getaway.

Just like their counterparts in countless other countries, after a long and tiring week at work, Japanese men like nothing better than letting off a bit of steam with a boisterous beer or two. Yet for those living in Tokyo who fancy something along the lines of manga-esque mammaries instead of mere male bonding, help is luckily available at Love Chance.

And even if love remains elusive, it’s more than likely that large amounts lager and lewdness won’t be lacking.

With Japan’s seemingly insatiable fondness for fads, Andy Warhol’s prediction of 15 minutes of fame could arguably be classed as a little on the long side, with many products and personalities whizzing by at such a frantic pace that one barely has the chance to holler has-been or even ask who?

Yet there are exceptions, or at least there used to be, as even the once mighty it seems can unfortunately fall foul of Japan’s unfaltering fickleness. Like, for example, the recent failure of the once formidable Anpanman empire.

With a large selection of anime, stacks of merchandise and even a museum to his name, a lifetime of leisure seemed certain; however, even being based on a bun filled with beans obviously isn’t enough to fend off the never ending flow of fads. A dramatic fall in sales and a series of salacious slurs resulting in the once massive Anpanman travelling the country desperately searching for day jobs, his rosy cheeks now unabashedly blushed with booze rather than the aforementioned beans.

A downfall that not surprisingly has sent shockwaves through the industry, with commentators all over Japan contemplating who may be next. Mickey working at McDonalds perhaps, or even, heaven forbid, Hello Kitty on heroin rather than a heroine?

As far as clothes or indeed any consumer goods are concerned, cute is unequivocally king in Japan, with anything garnering a cry of Kawaii! considered good or even great. A look that this plain but pretty little one-piece initially appears to have perfected. Its perky little bow at the back presumably receiving the required response.

Yet in a move that may shock cute connoisseurs to the core, its designer has daringly adding a dash of foulness to the front.

A slogan that while seemingly meaningless, is at least mildly amusing, as well as being available in black.